Upper deck J seat 747-400

[Alanslegal]

Qucik quessy;

I'm flying HKG-SYD flight QF128 747 4 class.

Currently in upper deck with 11B, and friend in 11A.

Seatguru makes these seats as yellow.

(All the green seats are taken at this stage.)


What would your personal views and experiences for these seats (or any alternatives)?

 

[simongr]

Is the flight full? If not would you consider 2 of three seats downstairs?

 

[MelUser]

I think all upstairs seats (other than the exit row) are similar.

I think 11A/B are favourites of QF009 but personally I prefer downstairs as there isn't much room in the overhead lockers upstairs.

The biggest benefit of upstairs is on an overnight flight, if you want to sleep, there is much less through traffic and no prem Y/Y people sneaking in to use the toilets which is a particular bug bear of mine!

 

[NM]

Qucik quessy;

I'm flying HKG-SYD flight QF128 747 4 class.

Currently in upper deck with 11B, and friend in 11A.

Seatguru makes these seats as yellow.

(All the green seats are taken at this stage.)


What would your personal views and experiences for these seats (or any alternatives)?

The reason Seat Guru marks them yellow is that there is a toilet in front of 11JK which may be disruptive with people coming and going. There is a curtain in front of the toilet area, but light can enter the cabin as people go through the curtain and open the toilet door.

11JK is a bassinet position so some chance of infantile disturbance from across teh aisle.

Also note that you will be among the last business class passengers to leave the aircraft since the stairs to/from the upper deck are at the rear of the cabin.

Personally, I believe the upper deck is over-rated. Its nice if I can get row 16, but other than that I would be looking downstairs. In my opinion, downstairs advantages include:

• Faster to get off the aircraft and hence through immigration control
• Much bigger overhead locker space (no under-seat storage in J on QF)
• Less likely to be 100% full
• D and F aisle seats have most likelihood of an empty seat adjacent
• I find the lower deck to be more open and less cluttered than the upper deck

I personally find no difference in ambient sound/light between upper and lower deck, though I acknowledge that other people do seem to notice a difference.

 

[Homer]

I've been in 11J/K a few times and found not just the light but the constant bathroom traffic to be annoying particularly late at night. Despite this I prefer the upper deck, but if you can't get row 16 as NM has suggested then I'd be taking a look at the lower deck.

 

[Alanslegal]

Thanks for the quick replies.

One final question, does person in seat A still have to climb over me in seat B in my angle flat position? I would assume all seats are like this except exit Row16's.

 

[straitman]

Short answer is yes though it is a little easier.

 

[Keith009]

I think 11A/B are favourites of QF009 ...

Apart from row 16 (which is almost impossible to get if u're not WP anyway), that preference has now changed to 17J or 18B. Handy being near both the toilets and the champers supply.

I much prefer the UD. Have sat in the MD once and didn't like the wider cabin - doesn't feel as cozy and exclusive. YMMV.

 

[Flying Fox]

I have travelled in row 11 and never had any problems sleeping (but I'm not a light sleeper) so its one of my favourite positions. Generally when wanting to sleep I use the ear plugs, noise cancelling head phones (switch off the TV and the noise cancellation will reduce the ambient noise) and then eye shades. Then I sleep like a baby!

I quite like the bonus of having the TV on an arm that you can position to watch in bed mode.

I agree that the overhead lockers can be a pain as they are smaller but this has never really been a problem for me in the past.

Enjoy your flight!

 

[JohnK]

With my limited experience flying business class I much prefer the upper deck on the 747. I have had 3 long haul op-ups on QF 747 and have had an upper deck seat allocated each time. There are obviously less passengers on the upper deck and in my opinion the noise from passengers going to the toilet is negligible.

 

[MelUser]

I think that sums it up - if it's peace and quiet you want then upstairs is the better option.

If you have serious amounts of hand luggage [especially the roll ons which can't be squished ] then downstairs is the way to go.

 

[Dave Noble]

Conversely I prefer the lower deck. I find the upper deck worse since can feel vibrations of people walking along the aisle which is v annoying , especially if trying to sleep

Dave

 

[munitalP]

Upper Deck all the way...

I have never been on a flight with Y PAX using the upper deck Loo - lets face it, there's not too many people up there so toilet issues are minimal.

Downstairs J - Y Pax sneaking in all the time! I too hate this as when I fly Y which is the majority, I dont use the J Loo's - hence Y PAX should stay away when I'm in J - simple maths eh?

Also as QF009 said - there's a feeling of "special" upstairs - I can't exactly place it but I would prefer the worst seat upstairs to any downstairs in J

Mr!

:shock:

 

[moa999]

Just the sensation of walking up the stairs...
almost as good as turning left

 

[Maca44]

It might be just my perception but I feel as though I get better FA service upstairs, albeit the last 5 long haul flights have been in 23D and I think that is the best seat downstairs.

 

[serfty]

Agree with 23D being the best J seat (or 23F) - often 23E is empty.

I've been both upstairs and downstairs and, IMO , the best benefit of being upstairs is if you have an exit seat. Other than that, For me, downstairs is far better.

YMMV ...

 

[simongr]

My recommendation in this area is that if this is your first chance at upper deck on a 747 then go for it - it is has a special feeling to it. But after that experiement and work out what works best for you.

mrssimongr hasnt flown upper deck so we will next time we get the chance.

 

[Alanslegal]

Thanks to all the inputs

I'm not too bothered about the toilet light - I would assume the redeye flight means people are supposedly sleeping than neeeding to go to the toilet. And I'm not too fussy with being let off the plane last out of all J passengers as I am generally a 'take my time to get off the plane' kinda person.

With locker space I guess I won't really matter as I tend to carry little handcarry - and I'm sure I could use some of the space in the side storage bins if need be.

And finally my thought of 'walking up the stairs' is a personal feel good factor. [ But unfortunately I don't travel much on the upper deck ]

 

[maninblack]

I think that sums it up - if it's peace and quiet you want then upstairs is the better option.

On one level yes (passenger/FA traffic etc) but I actually think that the lower deck is somehow quieter in relation to what I will call for want of a better technical term, "wind noise". I suppose I would need a decibel meter to accurately test the ambient noise level.

 

[Hvr]

An interesting discussion and one I had hoped to be able to offer a personal comment on after my last trip having secured seats on the upper deck.

But on the trip from SYD to BKK got that elusive upgrade to First class and on the return was happy to have any seat (it was J) for the journeys from HKT to SIN and then SIN to SYD.

Maybe next time.